Tim

Since your objective seems to be beyond just coffin hardware and the 
source I'm mentioning just came out last month and is not well known 
yet, I am going to go against my inclination and do some self 
promotion.  I just published with AltaMira Press a book entitled 
Burial Terminology: A Guide for Researchers.  While it does not go 
deeply into the terminology of coffin hardware, it does list some 
additional sources, including beyond North America.  It has close to 
600 references cited and is based on 45 years of working with the 
problem of uniformity in burial description.

Good luck.

Rick

At 03:04 PM 1/20/2006, you wrote:
>Again, many thanks to all -- especially Pat. I probably have that 
>issue of Historical Archaeology in box somewhere, and should have 
>remembered his study. Shows what happens when you become a full-time 
>bureaucrat (plus old timers plus mad cow disease -- Denny Crane/ 
>Captain Kirk is my hero!) Unlike, many of you my experience in grave 
>excavation is fairly limited, but I am on a committee to assist the 
>Commonwealth of Virginia in adjusting it's unmarked grave 
>regulations and am thinking of compiling the many references you all 
>have provided as a 'critical resource' to be consulted when issuing 
>permits. IF VDHr won't host on online reference list, perhaps some 
>other institution out there would, as this has compliance, as well 
>as science/research applications.
>
>Tim T.